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Mike, I taught a video course at TEK using my CCR 155 BioMarine rebreather equipped with Desert Stars Systems new computer system that is an integral part of the unit. The CCR155 has triple redundant O2 sensors and I have plumbed in a third bottle and valve for gas switching. The unit was dived at the same pool where your Prisms were. The unit was at the BioMarine/Desert Star booth at TEK. The Desert Star computer is the most sophisticated of any on a rebreather today. It reads the pO2 from three sensors, has voting logic, does mixed gas deco for any of ten preprogrammed gas mixes, constant pO2, open or closed circuit, gas switches on the fly, has a look ahead feature for consequences of deeper dive or longer time on the fly, fully programmable for any deco algorithm- it now has the Buhlmann ZHL-16 model programmed and you can change the a and b conservation factors, etc. etc. It does not have a CO2 sensor. There are to my knowledge no CO2 sensors on any unit that will warn you of dangerous CO2 levels before they get too high. If you have a phonothalein system or any other colorimetric system in the Prism then by the time there is a color change, it is way passed the safe point. Correct me if I am wrong. The Navy has been testing several systems including ionization detectors that are impractical in rebreathers. The CCR 1000 units you refer to are some of the best around today having a least a bazillion hours of diving on them. They are essentially the civilian version of the MK 15. I wouldn't hesitate diving one and buying one if I could get my hands on one. Their age has nothing to do with their reliability since the parts inside the ones I know about (9) are new. I know owners of seven CCR155 BioMarine units that are actively diving them today including myself. The Desert Star Computer that I have can be attached without modification to any other CCR155, Mark 15, CCR 1000 or Mark 16 rebreather. If one of my O2 sensors goes out, the Desert Star computer with keep on working off the remaining two and keep on giving you deco data. The Desert Star computer and the Cis Lunar computer are the only computers that will do this. Sorry you missed the 155 at TEK. Rod On Wed, 24 Jan 1996, Mike Cochran wrote: > > On 23Jan96 Dan Volker wrote: > > If you went to Tek or DEMA, and checked out each of the rebreather > > systems, you would have no doubt that only one has emerged as a > > "SAFE" unit...this was the RBC Odyssey. > > snip > > Dan, which TEK or DEMA are you talking about, and how does one "check > out" the Odyssey? We had a bunch of our folks there and the Odyssey > booth at TEK was empty (OK, OK, there was a mini-sub parked where the > RBC Odyssey sign was). At Tek and DEMA all we saw was non-functional > Odyssey shells (we peeked inside) at a couple of booths. At the pool > sessions, we had three PRISM IIs and took in more divers than all the > other guys (Drager, CisLunar, Divex, and the CCR1000) combined. The > Odyssey was not there. > > It is important to me why you say the Odyssey is the only one that is > 'SAFE'. What is not safe about the others, including our PRISM II? > (One can disregard the CCR1000, it's an older military unit that, I > think, is not around any more.) > > FYI, we downloaded the Odyssey pages that you suggested and there are > a number of statements that are incorrect. I don't want to get into > that here unless you insist, but if you want to EMAIL, that's great. > > Regards, Mike C > > > Later, Dan Volker wrote in response to a response: > > You want to try and explain what you are talking about? Even the > > other rebreather companies consider the Odyssey to be among th > > safest and best available. > > big snip > > Dan, no one asked US if we thought the Odyssey was the safest or best, > and not having studied or dove one, I can't say. IMHO, however, ANY > rebreather without a PPO2 monitor is inherently not "SAFE". How do > you *REALLY* know what you're breathing (blind faith)? Same goes for > a CO2 monitor. How do you *REALLY* know the scrubber is working > *BEFORE* you pass out (CO2 is sneaky)? Furthermore, without a dive > computer, the diver is in the lap-of-the-Gods regarding deco info > because you don't *KNOW* what gas mix you are breathing and it changes > based on a surprising number of variables in many rebreathers. One > can argue about tables and fudge-factors and preset mass-flow > controllers, etc. all day long, but if you don't have an on-line > computer that computes deco info from the actual depth and *ACTUAL GAS > MIX* you are breathing, one has to assume a worst-case scenario. > > FYI (based on info we have, maybe not current): > > PPO2 CO2 On-line deco > monitor monitor computer > > Odyssey no no no > Drager no no no > CCR1000 yes no no > CisLunar yes opt yes > Divex yes opt yes > PRISM II yes yes yes > > The type of system the Odyssey has (based on Odyssey info) seems to be > similar to the BMD which was pulled from the market. What is the > difference between these two units? > > Dan, I don't mean to start (or contribute to) a flame war. I'm just > asking what I think are some reasonable questions based on this > threads posts and responses. If you would like to take your answers > private, let me know, no problem. > > Kind Regards, Mike C > > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@terra.net'. > Send subscription/archive requests to `techdiver-request@terra.net'. >
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